


Calendars of Middle-earth

by Celandine



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Other - Freeform, Research Article
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 07:18:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3720035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celandine/pseuds/Celandine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short guide to calculating years, months, and days in Middle-earth.  Prepared by Celandine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Calendars of Middle-earth

Before the Two Trees, there was no reckoning of time. When Telperion began to bloom, the First Day began; but the first hour of its bloom was not counted into the tale of hours, but was called the Opening Hour by the Valar. Thus the Count of Time began. Each day contained twelve hours, in which first Telperion and then Laurelin came to full bloom and then waned again to naught. ( _The Silmarillion_ , pp. 38-9.)

A Year of the Trees (or Year of the Valar) was the same length as ten Years of the Sun; a Valian Age was 100 Valian Years, or 1000 of our years. ( _HoMe_ vol. 4, p. 312)

After the destruction of the Trees by Morgoth and Ungoliant, and the creation of the Sun and Moon, time was reckoned differently. We do not know with certainty what calendars were used in the First Age by the Eldar, although they were probably the same or similar to the Calendar of Imladris.


	2. Calendars of Middle-earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short guide to calculating years, months, and days in Middle-earth. Prepared by Celandine.

According to the Calendar of Imladris, as maintained through the Third Age, the Eldar counted time in _yén_ , often inaccurately translated as "year" but meaning 144 years of the sun. A single day ( _ré_ ) was reckoned from sunset to sunset; each _yén_ contained 52,596 days. They used a week ( _enquië_ ) of six days for ritual purposes, and these were 8,766 enquier in each _yén_. The solar year was called a _loa_ ("growth") or _coranar_ ("sun-round"). This was subdivided into seasons for practical purposes. The Calendar of Imladris had six of these seasons.

### Seasons among the Eldar:

Quenya name | Sindarin name | Translation | Length  
---|---|---|---  
tuilë | ethuil | spring | 54 days  
lairë | laer | summer | 72 days  
yávië | iavas | autumn | 54 days  
quellë (or lasselanta) | firith (or narbeleth) | fading | 54 days  
hrívë | rhîw | winter | 72 days  
coirë | echuir | stirring | 54 days  
  
Additional days fell outside of any season. Before tuilë came _yestarë_ , the first day of the year. Between _yávië_ and _quellë_ came three _enderi_ , or "middle-days." Following _coirë_ came _mettarë_ , the last day of the year. This provided a year of 365 days. Every twelfth year the _enderi_ were doubled; at the end of every third _yén_ the doubling of the _enderi_ was omitted.

The Calendar of Númenor in the Second Age differed. Instead of beginning the year with spring, they reckoned from mid-winter. Eventually they added a seventh day to the week, and reckoned days from sunrise to sunrise. They also divided the _loa_ into more regular and shorter periods. This King's Reckoning was used down until the end of the line of kings in Gondor. It may be set out as follows:

### Months in the King's Reckoning:

Quenya name | Sindarin name* | Length | Modern Equivalent  
---|---|---|---  
Narvinyë | Narwain | 30 days | January  
Nénimë | Nínui | 30 days | February  
Súlimë | Gwaeron | 30 days | March  
Víressë | Gwirith | 30 days | April  
Lótessë | Lothron | 30 days | May  
Nárië | Nórui | 31 days | June  
Cermië | Cerveth | 31 days | July  
Urimë | Urui | 30 days | August  
Yavannië | Ivanneth | 30 days | September  
Narquelië | Narbeleth | 30 days | October  
Hísimë | Hithui | 30 days | November  
Ringarë | Girithron | 30 days | December  
  
  
*used only by the Dúnedain in the North

Additional days outside the months were _yestarë_ (before _Narvinyë_ ), _loëndë_ (between _Nárië_ and _Cermië_ ), and _mettarë_ (after _Ringarë_ ). Every fourth year, except for the last year of a century, _loëndë_ was replaced by two _enderi_.

The Second Age was held to have ended with the overthrow of Sauron; thus S.A. 3442 became T.A. 1. Accumulated millennial deficits and dislocations caused by the new numeration of the years of the Third Age caused Mardil the Good Steward to issue a new calendar in T.A. 2060. According to this calendar, all months had 30 days, and two more days outside the months were introduced: _tuilérë_ (between _Súlimë_ and _Víressë_ ), and _yáviérë_ (between _Yavannië_ and _Narquelië_ ). Days outside of the months were always considered to be holidays.

The Shire Calendar began in 1601 of the Third Age, by the King's Reckoning, and thus the T.A. equivalent of any date given in Shire Reckoning may be found by simply adding 1600. For their months and years, the Hobbits followed the King's Reckoning, with a slight modification. Instead of the two middle months having 31 days, the Hobbits counted 30 days in each, and had a three-day holiday between them. They also used unique names for both months and weekdays.

### Months in the Shire:

Name in Gondor | Shire name | Bree name | Modern Equivalent  
---|---|---|---  
Narvinyë | Afteryule | Frery | January  
Nénimë | Solmath | Solmath | February  
Súlimë | Rethe | Rethe | March  
Víressë | Astron | Chithing | April  
Lótessë | Thrimidge | Thrimidge | May  
Nárië | Forelithe | Lithe | June  
Cermië | Afterlithe | The Summerdays | July  
Urimë | Wedmath | Mede | August  
Yavannië | Halimath | Wedmath | September  
Narquelië | Winterfilth | Harvestmath | October  
Hísimë | Blotmath | Wintring | November  
Ringarë | Foreyule | Yulemath | December  
  
Five days were normally reckoned outside of the months: two days of Yule (1 Yule came after the end of Foreyule, and 2 Yule came before Afteryule); and three days between Forelithe and Afterlithe, called 1 Lithe, Mid-year's Day, and 2 Lithe. Every four years an additional holiday, the Overlithe, was included after Mid-year's Day.

A table setting out the Shire Calendar for all years may be found in Appendix D of _The Return of the King_ , p. 384.


	3. Days of the Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short guide to calculating years, months, and days in Middle-earth. Prepared by Celandine.

As noted above, the Eldar used a six-day week.

### Days of the Week among the Eldar:

Quenya name | Sindarin name | Subject of the day's dedication  
---|---|---  
Elenya  | Orgilion  | the Stars  
Anarya  | Oranor  | the Sun  
Isilya  | Orithil  | the Moon  
Aldúya  | Orgaladhad  | the Two Trees  
Menelya  | Ormenel  | the Heavens  
Valanya (or Tárion)  | Orbelain (or Rodyn) | the Valar (or the Powers)  
  
The Men of Númenor added a seventh day: _Eärenya_ ( _Oraearon_ ), "Sea-day," between _Menelya_ and _Valanya_. They also altered the name of _Aldúya_ to _Aldëa_ ( _Orgaladh_ ), to refer only to the White Tree. Hobbits used Westron translations of these names.

### Days of the Week among Men and Hobbits:

Name in Gondor | Archaic Hobbit name | "Modern" Hobbit name | Modern Equivalent  
---|---|---|---  
Elenya | Sterrendei | Sterday | Monday  
Anarya  | Sunnendei  | Sunday  | Tuesday  
Isilya  | Monendei  | Monday  | Wednesday  
Aldúya  | Trewesdei  | Trewsday  | Thursday  
Menelya  | Hevenesdei  | Hevensday (or Hensday)  | Friday  
Eärenya  | Meresdei  | Mersday  | Saturday  
Valanya (or Tárion)  | Highdei  | Highday  | Sunday  
  
In all regions the last day of the week was the chief day, of holiday after noon and evening feasts, thus corresponding more nearly with modern Sunday.

In the Shire, and later also in Bree, an innovation concerning the days of the week was implemented in the time of Isengrim II, in 1083 S.R. From that time on Mid-year's Day (and the Overlithe) were given no weekday name; this meant that every year began on the First Day of the week (Sterday) and ended on the last day (Highday). Unfortunately, nothing is known that would enable us to determine the correspondence between particular dates and days of the week according to the King's or Steward's Reckoning.

[The information in this essay is largely from Appendix D in _The Return of the King_ , pp. 384-390; further information on the reckoning of time before the Second Age was found in _The Silmarillion_ , pp. 38-39, and _The History of Middle-earth_ , vol. 4, _The Shaping of Middle-earth_ , p. 312. Page numbers may vary by edition.]


End file.
